Labour / NZ First Government

[jonu]

You mean you hunt for something to complain about because that is your nature , that of a critic.Have a pint and say 10 hailmarys then do a ministry of silly walks, laugh your head off , its good medicine

It's not that I don't have a sense of humour, it's just that we are dealing with the fundamentals of our society here. And a government that is prepared to run up intergenerational debt.

Any casual observer can spot the ever increasing amounts of spin that accompany Ardern's briefings. (The briefings she said she was going to personally cut down on...until she realised what a golden propaganda opportunity they are).

We have a bunch of incompetents running roughshod over everything Westen Democracy holds dear. It's easy to to shut everything down. Far harder to actually plot a course that balances Health vs Economy. This is where they are incompetent. How many lives will be lost over the next 5 years when Health and Social Services Budgets will be constrained by debt?

It feels like they were still tweaking these Level 2 rules this morning. 6+ weeks after the levels system was announced. If I was running a 100 billion dollar business I sure as hell wouldn't put Cindy in charge. She'd make a handy PR spin doctor though.

[Joshuatree]

Tweaking is the norm in this super fast changing world, flexibility and adapting to constant change is vital, thank dog we have had such a responsible logical proactive govt. So far ,So very good...........

[jonu]

If you seriously believe your human rights are being denied, I pity you. There are people all over the world who live with no human rights. They would swap places with you in a heartbeat. This is what is wrong with Western Society - everyone has this ridiculous sense of entitlement and think their throats are cut when are are a little inconvenienced. Your life in NZ is a life of luxury compared to those who genuinely have their human rights ignored. Girls being mutilated by forced circumcision, children being exploited in the sex industry, human trafficking and many, many other unconscionable acts of cruelty/exploitation. There is no comparison to what you are “being denied.’

But God help Jacinda for locking you down for a few weeks.

Happily we in this country value the principles that keep our democracy stable and working. Comparing it to a Banana Republic and telling me I'm lucky doesn't cut it. Even seemingly benign governments will impose as much power over the individual as they can. To lazily give up Human Rights is a very dangerous thing to do.

[justakiwi]

This comment is just a cop-out and shows how ignorant you are on the issues of human rights. Your assumption that these things only happen in so-called “Banana Republics” is incorrect. Maybe do some homework on the subject.

BTW, there is a very big difference between imposing temporary restrictions on people, for the good of the wider population, and a government that exploits their power just because they can. The two scenarios are poles apart.

Happily we in this country value the principles that keep our democracy stable and working. Comparing it to a Banana Republic and telling me I'm lucky doesn't cut it. Even seemingly benign governments will impose as much power over the individual as they can. To lazily give up Human Rights is a very dangerous thing to do.

[jonu]

This comment is just a cop-out and shows how ignorant you are on the issues of human rights. Your assumption that these things only happen in so-called “Banana Republics” is incorrect. Maybe do some homework on the subject.

BTW, there is a very big difference between imposing temporary restrictions on people, for the good of the wider population, and a government that exploits their power just because they can. The two scenarios are poles apart.

The nature of those restrictions, how they are imposed, for how long etc must always be up for debate. As for exploiting their position...Labour have been at that for weeks, with ever lengthening spin being applied by Ardern. The leaked email from her office over the weekend confirms how manipulative the inner sanctum is, and also spells out her lack of confidence in her Cabinet. That's something Ardern and I agree upon.

[fungus pudding]

Happily we in this country value the principles that keep our democracy stable and working. Comparing it to a Banana Republic and telling me I'm lucky doesn't cut it. Even seemingly benign governments will impose as much power over the individual as they can. To lazily give up Human Rights is a very dangerous thing to do.

The primary duty of any govt. should be protection of its citizens, and while the methods they chose will be debated for years, they honoured their duty. Inarguable.

[Sir Ten]

Wtf do you guys actually want then? You whinge about absolutely everything the government does. You are never happy about anything. Would it hurt you to express even a modicum of appreciation for something? You’re like a freaking bunch of 3 year olds.

My guess is that most of the people on this forum are naturally right-leaning, capitalist types which probably explains some of it (certainly covers me off), but I think most of the unhappiness and discontent stems from the fact that very few mainstream commentators/journalists have appropriately held the Government to account.

[jonu]

The primary duty of any govt. should be protection of it's citizens, and while the methods they chose will be debated for years, they honoured their duty. Inarguable.

And what is the next thing we need protecting from? And what methods will they use? And how will it be paid for? And at what cost of lives in subsequent years? Specious argument, I think Fungus.

[justakiwi]

It is so easy for you (and others) to put forward the “at what cost?” argument from the safety of your armchair. But I suspect that you might have a different perspective if you had lost a loved one to this virus, or had personal experience of being hospitalised with it. I expect the government of the day to do what they need to do to protect me, my family, and my fellow Kiwis. I don’t give a **** what that costs. Yes, I get that the economy is affected and I understand the consequences of that, but it will never come before the lives of human beings for me. Never. I am so grateful that we have a government that was not prepared to sacrifice lives. Thank God we don’t have a blithering idiot running the country, suggesting that scientists can pump us full of disinfectant, or claiming “a great result!” When 80,000 human beings are dead. I sometimes wonder if some people here are just so attached to wealth/financial security in one way or another, that they can no longer see beyond financial considerations. Makes me glad I’m poor because the day I start putting money ahead of human life, is the day you can put a bullet between my eyes.

And what is the next thing we need protecting from? And what methods will they use? And how will it be paid for? And at what cost of lives in subsequent years? Specious argument, I think Fungus.

[fungus pudding]

And what is the next thing we need protecting from? And what methods will they use? And how will it be paid for? And at what cost of lives in subsequent years? Specious argument, I think Fungus.

Not much point in ranking the the things we need to be protected from when obviously you see something else as their main duty. You seem to have fired off a strange response to my simple statement. I can't imagine what you have read into it. Good luck.